Body Language
by AyYouFiction
Summary: Orphaned at fourteen, her only living relative has all but abandoned her for the last three years, but there's a chance she could have everything she has ever wanted in a new world below the surface, a new family, and a new name: Katniss.
1. Prologue

_Thanks to all of you who reviewed to help in the decision!  
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_HG characters and elements don't belong to me._

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><p>I slam the screen door behind me, but I know it makes no difference. My aunt wouldn't have noticed that I did it or that I'm leaving without telling her where I'm going, even if she were here.<p>

When my mother and father died four years ago, she was the only family I had left to take me in. She reminds me that I should be grateful to have a roof over my head—even if the roof belongs to her latest "friend"—and clothes on my back—bought by her latest "friend"—but other than that, it's clear I'm alone in the world. There are times when the loneliness gets to me and I ask for us to spend time together, only to have her explain to me in great detail, with that sickeningly sweet voice of hers, how she doesn't have the time, that there are very important matters for her to attend to.

"Chin up, up up," she tells me when I sulk at her answer, ending her speech with a rousing pep-talk about how lucky I am that her latest male friend will take us shopping.

At the moment, we're staying in his house that's only walking distance from the beach. This current "friend" of hers has the habit of glancing in my direction a little too often. During meals, his hand slips onto my knee under the table, and I've learned quickly not to jump at his touch but merely slide my legs in the opposite direction beyond his easy reach. It's a harder task than most would think because my aunt constantly reminds me that the position isn't lady-like. "Back straight, elbows off the table, and legs and feet under it."

It's nights like these, when my aunt is out handling her "very important matters" all the while leaving me alone with him, that I have to leave the house. He seems to catch me whenever I go to the bathroom, lurking at the door to stand in my way as I try to exit. He's always too close, his eyes are always too focused on my chest or my rear.

The sun is setting and I usually don't like to go to the beach at night, but I prefer that over him any time.

By the time I make it to the beach, the sun's kissing the horizon. It's light plays against the waves in shimmers, something beautiful to see, helping me forget why I'm here in the first place. Not many are out at the moment, preferring to be in their homes with the families who love them and want them. I see their lights from inside their houses, and they make me wonder if my family could have been one of them if my parents hadn't died or even if my aunt cared just a little bit.

The thought makes me return my focus to the horizon, to the water, because those thoughts only lead to that hollow feeling in my chest and tear-streaked cheeks.

Something in the water catches my eye, a break in the shimmers skittering over the water. It looks like someone swimming, but who would be that foolish to swim so far out at nightfall? As quickly as it appeared it was gone. I watch the spot for any signs of the swimmer, but there's none.

My periphery catches another break in the water closer to where I am on the beach, a distance too far for a swimmer to cross so quickly, so I disregard it as aquatic life of some sort, perhaps even a dolphin or a shark. Just as I'm ready to turn my head, I see arms flailing from the surface of the water. There's no doubt that it's a swimmer drowning, panicking. If I had time to think it through, I would have come to the life preserving conclusion that rushing out there to help them would only risk my life as well as theirs. That swimming at night without the lifeguards present is just asking for trouble. These are the things I would have thought about if I had the time to think it through, but I don't.

I rush out into the water with only the thought that someone's dying before my eyes, and I have to help them. I'm not the best swimmer, but I manage to make it to the spot I think I'd seen the arms.

There's no sign of the swimmer, no sign of anything but me surrounded by water and the sun steadily disappearing. The lights in the houses are my only guide back to the beach, but again, my periphery catches movement. It's something dark in the water that slithers towards me, reaching it's tentacles out for me. The fear I feel is transformed into action as I swim faster than I ever have before. The lights at the beach grow larger as I get closer, but I chance a look behind me to see the tentacles catching up no matter how fast I swim.

It catches my ankle first, wrapping around my feet and up my legs. I instinctively reach for whatever it is that's holding me to free the lower half of my body, but it's no use. It feels like slippery foliage tangled everywhere, and the more I fight it, the more I sink. It covers everything up to my lower ribs, but doesn't stop there, weaving upward until my arms and chest are covered as well.

I can't breathe, but I don't know if it's because I can't bring myself to breathe in the water and let death come or because the seaweed is constricting my chest. I just know that I'm sinking and I can't stop it. And then the sun disappears.


	2. The Float

_This is the winner with 5 reviews (here and AO3) and 8 kudos(AO3). Just keep in mind that it won't be updated this quickly regularly. This chapter was half written when I posted the first chapter. My average post time is about two weeks without problems and on top of that, I will go back to finish the last chaper of WoEP after I have a little rest to see it with new eyes. So please be patient.  
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_Thanks to all of you who participated & happy reading, ppl._

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><p>The first breath I take is strange. It's more of a gasp but my mouth is closed and my nose is covered. The slippery foliage unravels around me until it retreats completely into the black of the water, leaving me curled up and floating. My legs are bent with my knees close to my chest, and my arms are tucked in close. Thoughts come and go, some as memories very familiar to me and some not, but all of them are fleeting because I can't maintain a single one. Not that I care; it's peaceful this way.<p>

There's a distorted light glowing in my periphery, and as it creeps its way into my full sight, I realize that I'm spinning slowly, that I'm underwater and it's the moon I see from below the surface. There's no way to know if it's distorted because the surface of the water is churning or because there's something wrong with my vision. Either way, seeing it reminds me of where I should be and what I should be doing: swimming towards it to save myself. The more I try to swim, the more my body twists and turns in all directions in the water. And it hurts…a lot.

My arms cut through the liquid easily, but my legs are painfully stiff and uncooperative, refusing to move as they should. I make so little progress covering the distance to the surface that I wonder if I can hold my breath long enough to somehow reach it.

Only now does it occur to me that I'm not holding my breath. Even as I stop all movement and close my eyes to concentrate, I inhale deeply and I feel my body drifting in the gentle current of the water. There's a whoosh at my neck, behind my ears specifically, and I tentatively touch my fingers to it. There are ridges that break into sections the unusually smoother, slicker skin there. The other side of my neck is the same when I check.

My eyes snap open and there is a soft, pulsing light that's just enough to see my hands in front of my face, to see the webbing in between my fingers. I scramble out for something to hold, to anchor me so that I can get my bearings, but there's nothing to hold on to. I'm in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by water, all I end up achieving is flailing my arms around and losing track of where the moon and the surface is.

In the murky darkness is a flash of light and I desperately try to reach for it, but then I realize it's some distance away. I try to swim towards it, but with my uncooperative legs, it might as well be the moon. So I decide to close my eyes and try to calm myself.

It's only a few seconds before a feminine voice echoes in my ears, "There you are!"

I open my eyes and see a faint light reflected off the faces of a man and a woman before she adds, "For the love of…cover her." A material slips around me and covers me, envelops me to where I can only see through the small portion that doesn't. Strong arms wrap around me firmly, and I'm moving. It's a strange kind of rescue, to be pulled this way, but I'm just thankful that I'm being rescued at all. It was almost nighttime when I jumped into the water, and there was no one else on the beach, no one to notice me missing or drowning.

"What happened to you?" the female voice asks me, and I try to open my mouth but choke on the water that rushes inside which makes me wonder how she's manages words so clearly. However she does, it's clear that I can't which is why I choose not to say a word until we get back to the beach.

Except we're not headed towards the beach or even the surface. We're sinking, fast, and when I struggle to turn and look back, the glow of the moon quickly shrinks until it's nothing more than a tiny, white dot in the distance before it fades completely.

I don't understand how this could be, how I'm still alive, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'm alive. Every muscle in my body hurts as though they've all been strained to their limits, and death isn't supposed to hurt.

Ahead of where they're pulling me is what looks like a net of red veins pulsing with blood. It weaves into itself tightly until they pull me even closer to it to see that they aren't veins but lava, several rivers of lava crossing and weaving over a great mountain, and at it's peak is their source spewing fiery liquid everywhere. Beside it is another mountain, but it's nothing like its fiery twin. This one reflects the reddish glow of the lava but it's peaks reach upward in sharp, pearlescent spires, riddled with holes.

This is where they're taking me, whoever they are, and as we go through one of the holes and follow the path, I realize that the holes are actually entryways to tunnels and chambers spread throughout the spires. It's more like the inside of an anthill.

They release me inside one of those chambers where I just float across it. I no longer have the material covering me which leaves me feeling exposed and vulnerable to everything around me.

There's a soft light reflecting against the walls and I have time, now, to look at the people who brought me here. The male with black hair eyes me curiously while the female beside him seems bored with the whole situation, her short, brown hair swaying with the least bit of movement of her head. Her eyes dart down below my waist before they roll away in disgust as she moves further away from me. "Control yourself," she mutters as her arms fold across her chest.

She twists her body just so, and I see the one detail that had eluded me all of this time. Her face, her narrowed shoulders and exposed breasts—all of the skin slick and unnaturally smooth—are not so subtle hints that this is a female, but the skin below her belly button gradually transitions into copper colored scales that cover her entire lower half. That's not the detail that surprises me the most. It's that where her legs should be is a tail, a fish's tail. The male is the same.

Scrambling for something, anything to hold onto, I sink to the floor. The polished surface is something to cling to, so I do with my fingertips as best I can. The look on her face tells me that she's had enough, and bellows, "Sae!"

Before I can stop myself, my eyes drift down to the lower half of my own body and realize that I'm like them. My legs are gone, and in their place is a red tail that tapers as I follow it down to where my ankles should be. From there, two large, billowing fins spread out gracefully. As though that's not enough for me to deal with, my tail is actually the source of light in the room, flashing in an erratic pattern. I try to swim away but only cause the tail to thrash wildly causing orange and yellow to reflect over the red undertone, looking very much like fire. As though it would make any more sense, I scrub down the scales at my waist hoping to slide them off of me like a suit. Needless to say, it doesn't work and only draws an exasperated snort from the female.

I'm screaming. The strain at my throat and the high, piercing sound is evidence as the male and female cover their ears just before I close my eyes and cover my own.

I scream and channel all of my confusion and fear into it until I have nothing left. My mouth is filled with water and I can't help but to swallow it. Surprisingly, it doesn't choke me if I don't fight it. There's not enough time to try and make sense of all of these things before someone screams, "Katniss!" and my lower half is encircled by small arms.

When I look down, there's a head of blond hair fanning all around my middle and through the strands I can make out what looks like a child…with a tail.

"They said you were dead," the little creature says and her tail is glowing in an erratic pattern different from my own. She pulls her face from my tail and smiles up at me with big, blue eyes that melt my heart as her blond hair drifts around to frame her face. She seems just as scared as I am and for some reason she thinks I'm someone named Katniss, someone she obviously cares for who's thought to be dead. I can't break her heart and tell her the truth, that I'm not her Katniss, so I wrap an arm around her to pull her in tightly.

"It's okay," I try to tell her, but the words don't come out the way they should. My lungs force out something that sounds like a squeal and click. She freezes against me and then moves away slowly with wide, frightened eyes.

Another woman…with a tail…much older than the others if the looser skin along her face and torso are any indication, enters the chamber and eyes me the moment she sees me. Her appraising look makes the glow from my tail change patterns as I try to cover my chest, more aware that my breasts are exposed.

"This isn't Katniss," the little creature tells the older woman, her lip trembling and expressive eyes looking as though they might shed a tear, not that it would be obvious if she did when they're surrounded by water.

"Let's see," she says before approaching me, then uses her finger to lift my chin so that we're eye to eye. There's something she's searching for, but I don't think she finds it because her brows dip and crease deeply before she releases me.

"No, this isn't Katniss," she says, but this time I'm paying careful attention to the way her mouth moves with the words that she says. She's not speaking words but her mouth opens to let out squeals and whines and clicks, but for some reason their meaning is just as instant as though someone were speaking to me in words I understand.

"Who are you?" the first of these females I'd ever seen, the one with the brown hair and copper tail, rushes at me with a spear I didn't know she was holding until it's pressed to the center of my chest.

My tail continues to glow, dimming and brightening in a pattern that speeds up in time with my mounting fear for my life. I lean back and away from it, which causes me to lose my orientation, pinwheeling in the water without any sense of direction or ability to stop it. "Johanna, enough!" the older woman says before I feel solid hands still and then right me with the others. I'm in the hands of the male with the black hair, and he gives me a slight, comforting smile and for a fleeting moment I hope it's a sign that I won't have to fear him as well.

When he releases me, I sink slowly to the floor of the chamber. I cover my face with my hands and wish all of this away. If I concentrate enough, I might be able to wake myself.

"Who are you?" the older woman is beside me and it makes me jump. I'm afraid that I'll lose my orientation again, so my impulse is to sink as far down on the floor as I can with my hands flat as though they can attach themselves to it. When I think I'm as stable as I can be, I look up at her and try to say my name but the water rushes inside my lungs the way it did when they first found me, and I choke and sputter.

The older woman's already shaking her head with a look on her face as her eyes are on me. "My name is Sae," she clicks and squeaks and squeals, adding while gesturing to those around her, "and this is Johanna, Gale, and Prim."

So now I know their names, but it doesn't even begin to explain what's going on. The female with the brown hair, Johanna, secures her spear to the strap at her back. She doesn't seem convinced that I'm no threat, but the older female, Sae, has decided I'm not whether she agrees or not.

Johanna and the black haired male, Gale, slowly float backwards with the smaller fins at their hips fluttering. The little creature, the little, blond female called Prim, comes forward to get a good look at me. "Sae, she didn't tell me to leave her alone and go away."

"No, she didn't."

"she can't be Katniss, but she looks just like Katniss."

"I know child."

I don't like that they're talking about me right in front of me as though I'm not there. I want to ask so many questions—there are so many in my mind—so I choose one and focus on the thought and not so much the words. "Why am I here?"

It works. I don't choke or sputter, and what I wanted to say came out as a couple of clicks and a lower pitched squeak. Johanna comes in close, her hand gripped tightly around the spear.

"What was the last thing you remember, before us?" Sae asks me after stopping Johanna with just a look.

I tell them—creating the words as I did before by concentrating on the thoughts before allowing my brain to do the rest—about being on the beach and seeing the panicking swimmer. How I tried to help but was pulled down deep into the water by what I could only guess was seaweed before Johanna and Gale found me. Sae's brows dip down again, and she turns away from me, muttering, "The float."

Johanna and Gale's faces twist in confusion before Sae continues talking to me. "There's a very old myth that if a human is close when one of us is killed, the human will be chosen to take his or her place if there's unfinished business. It's called the float."

"I'm taking someone's place?" I ask, not having to focus on that thought for much more than a second before it comes out in more clicks and squeaks and squeals and whines.

Sae loops her arm under mine and pulls me towards one of the walls. There's a reflective surface framed in stone that she levels me with. This is the first time I see myself since the beach and the person staring at me isn't me. She has black hair that is braided to the side and her skin is slick and smooth. The ridges I felt behind my ears before are there, and in the mirror I can see clearly that they're gills.

"Her name was Katniss. She was our leader," Sae says to me. "Your name is Katniss, and you are our leader, now."

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><p><em>So I am curious, how many of you knew I was going in this direction (mermaids)? I tried to give enough of a hint that it was going into the fantasy realm, but I tried not to give too much away.<em>


	3. City of Fire

_It's finished a week before I expected. Enjoy._

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><p>"Katniss," someone calls from behind me as I lean against the wall and look through one of the slotted openings of my chamber. It's just large enough to see outside where the rivers of lava flow slowly down the mountain. There are others outside, other people with tails swishing, going about their lives for the day. The first time I saw them out there was just as shocking as when I realized that I had a fishtail that first night, but it's been almost two weeks and even though it's still strange to me, it's nowhere near as shocking.<p>

At least I can tell day from night now by the subtle shift in ambient light around us. That took some time too.

The voice calls, "Katniss," again, and this time I remember that I'm supposed to answer to that name here. Prim's floating through the entrance guarded by Gale, waiting for me to respond. I'm relieved to see her and not Sae because the older woman has a tendency to study my every movement when I talk, and I find it distracting and uncomfortable. I'm even more relieved that it's not Johanna who does nothing but glare at me with her hand on her spear and her lip curled.

With Prim, I don't feel so alien in this strange world. "Hello, Prim," I greet her with a smile because I can't help but smile at her. Unlike the others, she doesn't seem to want anything more than to spend time with me. She greets me back and enters the room until she's somewhere in the middle, and then lets herself sink to the floor because she knows I feel most comfortable against a solid surface.

I join her, having learned how to use the fins at my hips for these finer movements, and wait for today's lesson.

"There are how many cities?" she quizzes me, and my smile at her only grows wider because I remember the answer immediately.

"Twelve."

My reward is a beaming smile from Prim as she brushes back her hair that's slowly drifting in front of her face. Quickly, she schools her face into something more neutral before her eyes narrow at me which I've learned means I have a more challenging question ahead of me.

"Name them."

And just as I suspected, it is a much harder question. There are the ones that stick out in my mind and count with my fingers as I name them, "Cities of...Silver...Gold...Fire...Sunset. Prim scrunches up her face while shaking her head at the last one. "City of the Setting Sun," she corrects me. With that, I can't help but to huff in frustration. Sunset, setting sun, what's the difference?

I continue listing them to get past my mistake before my frustration causes my tail to glow. I've been working so hard with Sae to control that.

Prim makes a squeaking sound that I've come to know as a sign of approval as her tail brightens in a repeating pattern of bright, dark before it stops abruptly. "Sorry," she says sheepishly before looking down to where her hands rest over her tail. "You've gained more control over your lights in days than I have for my entire life."

"And it's still not easy," I assure her. Sae's relentless in her lessons as she works with me on my control when Prim isn't quizzing me on the beginner's guide to underwater politics. My motivation to learn as quickly as possible came when they explained that the pattern of the glow corresponds to the emotions of the person. For these people who experience the glowing lights from birth, it's nothing more than an embarrassment that they the lack self control, especially for those my age and older. For me, it's an unwelcome experience to have my emotions displayed for all to see.

Reading the patterns, however, doesn't come as naturally. Although, even in the last two days, I can identify glowing patterns of annoyance thanks to Johanna, curiosity thanks to Gale, and excitement, thanks to Prim.

"And which city do we live in?" Prim asks me, getting back to our task. Again, an easy question. "City of Fire," I answer, thinking about the lava outside and Prim nods in approval.

"Good. You finally know where you are," the impatient voice of Johanna sounds in the room. She's floating into the chamber with Gale, who had been to the side, guarding the entrance, "It's time for your tour of the city."

I look to Prim for confirmation that her lesson is ending early before I look back at Johanna who looks down at my tail and gives an exasperated sound. "Sae _said_ she was in control," she says to no one in particular before rolling her eyes.

"She can't come and go as she pleases like us," Prim defends me. "She spends most of her time here in these chambers. You'd glow too if you had limited freedom."

Johanna simply rolls her eyes again but this time folds her arms across her chest. I can't help but hug Prim for that, for defending me because I can't remember the last time anyone's done that since my parents were alive. At first, her body's stiff against mine, but then she relaxes into my arms and I feel her little arms around wrap around me tightly.

"How…sweet," Johanna says, but even in her squeaks and clicks I hear no sincerity. She turns to Gale and reminds him loudly enough for me and Prim to hear, "As we've discussed before, you're to escort her through the city. You are to stay with her at all times. If something happens to her, something will happen to you, got it?"

This is for me as well. Johanna and Sae have made it clear that they can't allow anything to happen to me. I'm their last chance for whatever it is their Katniss was supposed to do. If I die, there won't be another to take my place...or so the myth about the Float goes.

Gale nods and Johanna leaves, her billowing fins are all we can see of the entrance before they disappear entirely with a final swish to the right of the outside corridor.

"When you're ready," Gale says to me before his head drops down to the floor when Prim and I focus our attention on him.

"I'll see you for the meal when you're done?" Prim turns to me and asks me. It took a while to realize that they don't have words for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There are just meals periodically during the day, and I have to use context to know which one they're talking about. I nod and rise from the floor, using the small fins at my hips to move my body slowly upward.

I'm still clumsy when it comes to my entire tail, always expecting to use two legs instead, and it shows as I make my way beside Gale. He leads me out of the chamber, the room I've spent most of my time in for almost two weeks, and through the tunnels but instead of stopping outside of the structure I once considered something like an anthill, he leads me to another chamber.

"Do you mind if we stop in my chamber for a moment? I haven't been in it for some days and—"

It occurs to me that he's been guarding me from the moment he found me with Johanna. It never occurred to me that he may have his own home and family to get back to. He looks weary from the darkening circles under his eyes to the dull look of his black hair, so I don't let him finish the last of his words. "I don't mind. Please do what you have to do."

The entrance to his chamber is higher and narrower than mine, giving it far more privacy. He leads me through it and down a short corridor that adds more privacy I haven't experienced here. I guess because they want eyes on me at all times, I'll never get it.

I expect to find a beautiful woman and small, beautiful children, or at the very least a lover, waiting for him but there is nothing but one curvy table to the side with a mound of coral on top of it. The chamber is about the same size as mine with nothing else inside. He disappears inside the much smaller room that I've come to know as the equivalent of a bathroom. There's nothing for me to do but to allow my body to float as I'd learned to do with Sae and Prim. It's a comfortable, weightless feeling that I've found to be very relaxing as my thoughts wander.

I wonder how it could be that no one's waiting for him. Gale spends so much of his time guarding me that he couldn't possibly have time enough to see a lover, and he's so handsome. There has to be someone.

So preoccupied with whether or not Gale has someone, I don't care that I'm spiraling slowly inside the room. I don't need to orient myself when I'm alone, but when the coral mound on top of the table slowly slides into view, I see a flash of dark pink against the coral's lighter pink. As graceless as I am, I twist and manage to turn so that it has my full attention. Using my hands to draw me in closer, the webbing between my fingers help with this motion, I could swear there's an eye inside the coral before it vanishes just as quickly. I move closer, concentrating on the flutter of my fins at my hips.

Whatever is inside pulls back further into the coral which only makes me lean in even more until it springs out at me, wrapping itself around my neck. Whatever it is tightens as I scream which only causes the creature to spread from my neck to my mouth. It reminds me of what brought me underwater, and I scream louder and pull at it. It doesn't feel like foliage that brought me here but it's smooth skin that's typical of the people here.

"Katniss, it's okay!" someone says near me, but I pay it no mind. I'm too busy fighting against whatever it is trying to smother me.

It's Gale floating in front of me and his hand reaches for whatever it is around my neck. At his touch, the thing releases me, and I finally get a good look at my attacker.

It's a squid, a little, pink mottled squid that wraps itself around Gale's neck and shakes uncontrollably. "You scared Squiggles," he says to me indignantly as he gently strokes the thing.

"**I** scared Squiggles?" I sputter out the question in disbelief. "Your kidding, right?"

He gives the creature a few more strokes before gently returning it to its coral home. "I've had Squiggles since I was a little younger than Prim."

"How…cute," I tell him, sounding a little too much like Johanna, but his eyes dart down at the flashes of light coming from my tail. I'm so startled by my experience with the creature that I completely forgot to control it. My fear and annoyance are clear in the patterns flashing which makes him smirk. "You really should learn to control yourself."

With a little concentration, the glow from my tail stops abruptly, and I roll my eyes, but not before I notice how refreshed my guard looks. His face is less haggard and his hair's glossy black again much like it was the day he and Johanna found me, and the change makes his gray eyes seem bluer.

"Shall we?" he asks me, gesturing towards the small corridor leading out of his chamber.

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><p>The City of Fire is as breathtaking as it was the first day I swam through it, coming alive during the day. The section we're in is where most make their trades. Gale called it the Hob. As we pass through, several people stop to smile and nod their heads in acknowledgment of me, of Katniss. They have no idea that I'm not her. No one is supposed to know except for the two who found me, Sae and Prim.<p>

At first, it was a bizarre feeling to be noticed, even if being mistaken for someone else, after spending so many years trying to stay out of the way of my aunt and her parade of boyfriends. Now, I don't mind the attention so much. I've even learned to nod and smile in return and have even learned a few names of the vendors.

"Does everyone know who I am?" I remember asking Gale the first time we swam through the city. He nodded and then answered, "Of course they do. You're their leader."

Sae's called me that before, but I'm still not sure what they mean by leader. What do they expect of me as their leader? Am I a princess? A queen? A president? I'm about to ask him when a woman hands me an oblong object the size of my fingernail, and I accept it after Gale nudges me with his elbow. "Take it. Food's very expensive and she's offering it as a gift. To refuse would hurt her feelings," he explains.

I take it, and hesitantly place it in my mouth. I try to smile for the woman, but I'm sure it comes out more as a grimace as I prolong the moment I bite into the thing. I've never seen anything like it with the food that they've given me since I've been here, round and black and shriveled even though it's been submerged in water for what I presume is its entire existence. It's only so long that I can hold off from actually eating it with the woman's expectant eyes still on me, so I bite down and the texture is very much like a prune but the first squirt of flavor is sour. Just as my face begins to contort at that, the flavor mellows into a sweetness that mixes with the saltiness of the water. It's amazing and unlike anything I've ever tasted that lingers for quite some time, even as we say our goodbyes and swim away.

Unlike our usual tour of the city, Gale leads me to the edge of the city, where many of the city's poor live, a place called the Seam. It's uncomfortably hot here, and only gets hotter as we go even farther when the small fragile dwelling of the Seam become sparse. I feel as though the water is cooking me, and I don't want to go any further, but he tells me, "Just a little bit closer." It's not until we reach the summit of the hill at the end of the Seam that I see how close we are to the lava mountain.

The other side of the hill plummets into a cliff, and the view of the lava mountain is breathtaking. We are as close as we can get to it, and this is considered the worst part of the city. "There's beauty in the most unlikely of places," he says, but the way he's looking at me, I get the feeling he's not talking about the mountain.

I use my small fins at my hips to keep me in place as I watch the bright red and yellow flow slowly down the mountain. I can't look away its so beautiful, and Gale admits softly that this is his favorite spot in the entire city.

"What did the other Katniss say when you brought her here?"

"I didn't. Katniss hated coming to this side of the city and she hated the lava mountain. She would never have understood the beauty in it. But you do, don't you?"

There's not much for me to say. "Yes," doesn't seem adequate enough to describe what I'm feeling as I watch the picturesque scene. Just as I tear my focus from it long enough to look in his direction, I catch the glimpse of his tail glowing bright, then brighter before it dims and fades completely.

* * *

><p>"Did you enjoy your time outside?" Sae asks me, and I get the feeling that there's more behind her question. Still, I glance at the entrance where Gale guards my chamber before I nod my head. The older woman seems pleased by the answer.<p>

"I'd hoped that you would see the importance of our city, that you would want to help us." She conveniently leaves out the fact that to help them may be the only way for me to get back to world I know, the one above the sea. I have very little choice. What they haven't been willing to tell me in the last two weeks is what is it they need me to do to help them, so I ask.

"What is it you need me to do?"

Prim eyes Sae and the two share a look before their focus lands on me again. I let my tail glow with a pattern that must broadcast my impatience.

"The leader of the City of Silver, Coriolanus, wishes to arrange a union between our cities. He wanted her…wants you to marry his second son."

Marry? The word flips in my head over and over until its the only thought there, shutting out everything Sae has to say afterward. I wonder if marriage means the same to them as it does for us above, and the unpleasant tingle along my scales follows when I realize that this may be what I have to do to get back there.

Slowly, the sound of Sae's squeaks and clicks and squeals begin to penetrate my own thoughts again. "…but we know it's for power. He wants control of both cities through his two sons."

I blink at that. It may be the first time I've blinked since I've been down here in the water. I still have eyelids, I've seen them in my reflection several times, but they don't seem to serve a practical purpose down here.

Sae's words sink in fully. Katniss, the original Katniss, was the piece in a power play. For all I know, it may have been the reason why she died in the first place. And now, it's me at the center of it. It could be my life in danger at most, a forced marriage if I want to return home at least. As Sae and Prim describe the leader of the city and his sons, I realize it's even more dire than I thought.

"With his eldest, to inherit the City of Silver and his youngest, to marry into this city, the combined forces of both cities would be no match for any of the others. And his sons are known for—" Sae stops at that and her eyes dart in the direction of a curious Prim before they return to me. It seems to be a universal signal for those above and below sea level that the conversation is not meant for certain people.

Sae stiffens her back and continues, "but we've set in motion an alternative, hopefully. We've requested a union with the City of the Setting Sun. They have three sons. The eldest has already taken leadership of the city, the middle son is married into another city. The third son is available. They are good and kind."

Before Prim or I can say a word, and it's written all over our tense faces and bodies that we are going to, Sae answers our question, "I know their mentor well. I used to watch over him in his youth."

Their "mentor." That simple word means so much for these people down here. Sae is Prim's mentor. She was Katniss's mentor, and now mine. No one has been able to describe to me the exact job requirements of a mentor other than to teach and guide the children of leaders. As far as I can tell, she's a nanny, a governess, and a grandmother all in one. Since Katniss and Prim's parents died, she may not be the authority—that was left to Katniss, now to me—but she is the one to have the authority's ear. She's the one to decide if the eldest child is fit for leadership.

It's why Johanna—who I've learned in the time I've been here is the head of the guard—had to defer to Sae. In the hierarchy of leadership, there's leader, mentor, head of guard.

"Have you ever met him…in person, this third son of the City of—" I begin to ask Sae but she interrupts to correct me, "The third son of the Setting Sun. His name is Peeta. And the second son of Silver is named Cato."

I'm not sure why I asked the question because I'm not sure how it would help. I've never met him, but then again, I've never met the other option for marriage, Cato. From what they tell me, though, it would be better for all involved if I marry Peeta. Still, Sae answers me by shaking her head. "When Katniss and I traveled to the City of the Setting Sun to speak with him, he said he already knew the circumstances but required time to think it through. He refused to see anyone from our city until he has his answer in six moons time."

"Six moons?" I repeat in disbelief, and Prim nods, seemingly knowing this much of the events, then she says without trying to mask her doubt in the possible option, "This was just over a moon ago."

* * *

><p><em>Feedback's always welcome! <strong>Especially<strong> since this is new territory for me, describing life underwater.  
><em>


	4. Choices to be Made

_For those of you interested, the breaks from the WoEP are working. I've been able to work through one of the things I was having trouble with. Progress!_

* * *

><p>Prim and Sae are speaking to me, but all I can think about is the time I've spent with Gale in the Hob and his favorite view of the lava mountain. Whatever it is that they're saying to me is important and should have my attention, I know this, but I can't bring myself to think of anything but his wide shoulders and how much the color of his eyes remind me of the sky, only brought out more by his black hair. Would he even understand what that means if I were to tell him that?<p>

Prim squeaks something but the meaning doesn't penetrate my brain as my eyes drift away from them and to the entrance of the new chamber I've been given. It has more privacy with the entrance higher than the last, much like Gale's chamber.

"Katniss!" Prim calls but I barely hear her through my own thoughts, knowing Gale is just outside guarding me, which makes me smile. These are the times I have to remember that he was ordered to watch and protect me at all times, so of course he's there. The idea that I'm nothing more than his assignment stings, only dulled by the fact that he's taken me to his favorite view of the lava mountain. He shared that with me, and it's that thought that leaves me with a growing excitement in anticipation of our next city tour after my time with Sae and Prim. There's a glow below me which is enough of a distraction to hear Prim and Sae call me at the same time. "Katniss!"

There's a strange look on their faces before Sae's eyes dart down towards my tail, then she looks at me with raised brows. I look down and see the pattern glowing: bright, brighter, dim. I concentrate to still my body until it stops completely.

Prim giggles and Sae reminds me, "Your marriage is important for the future of many lives." I don't know why she's reminding me of that when I understand full well just how important who I marry will effect so many lives, most importantly my own. It may be my only way back to life above water. And then my eyes wander back to the entrance, and I realize that the glow may have broadcast my interest in my guard.

"I understand, Sae," I tell her. From the way her brows are slightly drawn together and her lips pressed tightly, it's clear my response doesn't put her mind at ease.

"Very well. It's time for Gale to guide you through the city, isn't it?" I nod a little more enthusiastically than I wouldn't liked, but thankful she's let the topic go, or so I think. "Yes, well, I think it would be good for Prim to go with you. She should have her time outside as well."

Although I love my time with Prim, we're kindred spirits both having lost our families, the excitement I felt in anticipation of my tour of the city with Gale has lost its luster. I concentrate fully to avoid a glow from my tail displaying my disappointment because I don't want to hurt Prim who is absolutely ecstatic about Sae's idea. That much is clear from the beaming smile on her face to the glowing of her tail. I take a mental note of its pattern: bright, dim, bright, dim because I'm sure of what emotion it corresponds to.

* * *

><p>Prim holds my hand as we swim through the Hob, pointing with her free hand at everything she wants to show me, everything she finds that interests her. Gale trails behind us and hasn't said a word since we told him Prim was coming with us. When Prim isn't looking, I turn back to see him staring at us, at me.<p>

I'm annoyed with Sae, but I'm not annoyed or angry with Prim. I love my time with her; she's like the little sister I always begged my parents to have when I was young and my parents were still alive. With Prim, I sometimes feel like that smiling little girl who still had a loving family. The girl where hugs and hand holding came easy. I always figured that girl died not long after my parents, but here I am. When Prim needs comfort, I don't hesitate to hold her. Through the Hob, I don't mind holding her hand.

Our closeness, as quickly as it's come, left me with a question. "Do you miss your sister?" I asked her once, wondering if she resented me replacing her sister. How could anyone replace a sister?

"I miss her," Prim says to me, "but not as much as you'd think. We were like strangers; she never wanted to spend time with me."

"Why not?" I asked, going against my instinct not to pry.

"Because she didn't like me much. She thought of me as a burden and avoided me whenever she could which was always. You're not like that. You spend time with me, and I feel connected to you somehow."

How could anyone not love Prim? She's so sweet and kind and always helpful. When I think about returning to land, I know it'll be her that I miss the most.

We stop at a vendor with his wares of seaweed bundles dangling and floating around him as Prim points to each, describing how they taste and what their medicinal uses are. It was one of our talks in my chamber where she confessed that her mother taught her some healing remedies before her death, that the other Katniss had no interest in it.

I can't say I do either as my neck twists just far enough for Gale to come into view. He's floating closer to where Prim and I are.

"Katniss," Prim calls and nudges me in my ribs with her elbow, wondering where my attention has drifted off to just as Gale floats to my side. His body heat warms the water between us, and without thinking, I drift closer to it, drawn to it. There's a strong urge to reach out and touch him, to feel the source of the warmth, but even I know how inappropriate that would be.

Prim tilts her head towards us, her eyes flitting from him to me, and then focuses her attention on the vendor and his seaweed. There are several bundles in her arms by the time she proclaims very loudly, "Well, I guess I should take these back to my chamber. I'll see you for the meal, Katniss." She nuzzles her cheek against mine because her arms are too full to give me a hug, and then cuts through the water until all I can see is her large fins fan out into a cloud of soft pink, disappearing in the distance.

"I guess she really had to get them to her chamber," Gale says to me with the equivalent of a small chuckle. His eyes dart to the side and to the stony, uneven ground below, and finally up at me. They are so clear and so blue that I find myself staring a little too long before I have to look away.

We drift through the Hob together but don't say a word and look at anything but each other for so long that it becomes uncomfortable. I want to say something, but there's nothing that comes to mind except for one question. Before doubt and fear can stop me, I force it out. "Do you have family?"

Gale looks at me and then drops his gaze. "Yes," is all he says, stopping in front of a jewelry vendor although his silver tail swishes from side to side slowly.

I don't say anything more, but I watch and wait for him to twist the knife by telling me how beautiful his wife is, how adorable his children are. I knew he had to have a family somewhere out there, and yet, I'd hoped that he didn't.

He rubs the pearl-like stone dangling from a necklace before twirling his finger underneath so that it creates a vortex in the water. The necklace spins for some time even after he stops.

"Two brothers and a sister," he finally says and then adds, "You're not like the other Katniss."

The small fins at my hips flutter wildly to keep my in place as a soft current in the water, much like a breeze on land, passes through. The comment seemed to come from nowhere and surprises me so much that I forget to be relieved he hasn't mentioned a wife, a lover or children. "How am I different?"

"She never asked me about my family. The other Katniss was never interested in the family of the guardsmen and women. She never wanted to speak to anyone but Sae and those she deemed worthy."

"And me?" I ask, almost afraid to know his answer, sure that he'll mention how clumsy I am when it comes to understanding the world down here or the way I swim.

But his answer is gentle and sincere when he says, "You care."

* * *

><p>"Sae!" Johanna's throaty call resonates inside my chamber as I have my meal with Sae and Prim. She snakes through the entrance quickly with Gale behind her. "We have guests!"<p>

Our food floats in the center of where we sit to be plucked as we eat. There's krill and seaweed and a tough-to-chew kelp that Sae assures me is good for me. My finger's on a particularly plump krill by the time Johanna's reached us. "Who is it?" the elder woman asks, but by the look on her face, she seems to know.

"It's Coriolanus and his son, Cato. They've come for an answer."

I freeze at the names, recognizing them as the leader of Silver and his second son. I'm not sure what to do so I do nothing and watch Sae for her reaction. She inhales, the gills behind her ears shuddering as she finishes whatever it is she's eating at the moment before telling Johanna, "We'll meet him in the large chamber."

Johanna nods and glances my way before leaving. I'm not sure, but I think her expression isn't as hard as it's been when she looks at me. Gale's focus shifts towards me for a moment before he follows.

"Prim, we'll have to prepare her for Coriolanus," Sae says, already unraveling the braid I wear to the side as Prim disposes of what's left of our meal. Sae doesn't say it, but I know she's thinking it because I am. This is it. This is the moment where I must use everything I've learned to make Coriolanus believe I'm Katniss. If he has any inkling that I'm an impostor, he will set his sights on a marriage between his son and Prim. I can't allow that.

The older woman is a blur of gray hair and orange fins around me, combing her fingers through my hair as she styles it in some style that's tight against my scalp. I close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing, feeling the tickle as water rushes in and out of the gills behind my ears. I try to reassure myself that I know enough to fool Coriolanus, that I can do this, but it's no use. My nerves are frayed and I can feel that slight tingle under my skin whenever my lights start to glow. It's just as I suspected when I open my eyes to find my tail flashing an erratic pattern.

Prim returns to the chamber with some concoction of paste that hasn't dissolved in the water, smearing it on my face and torso. When she attempts to smear it over my breasts is when I snatch it from her. I understand that for them breasts are no different than shoulders or elbows, but no matter how much I try to adjust to their way of life, there are some things I will never be able to adjust to.

The paste feels heavy against my fingers, but it's creamy along my skin and makes it sparkle and shine against the slightest light.

Sae's bombarding me with questions, quizzing me to make sure I know all of the basics I need to know for meeting the leader of Silver. She's afraid that I'll slip; I'm afraid that I'll slip, but I can't. I can't allow him to know that I'm only a replacement for the real Katniss.

When Sae's done with me, she and Prim lead me to my chamber's entrance but not before I'm able to chance a look at my reflection. The way the cream makes my skin sparkle is nothing short of amazing. Along with my hair wrapped and weaved into a tight crown on top of my head, I look regal…I remind myself that it's Katniss who looks regal because this is her face and body.

Gale's floating by the entrance of my chamber, waiting to escort us into the large chamber where Coriolanus and his son are waiting. The room's twenty times the size of my chamber and I've only been in it twice in the two months I've been here.

Sae and Prim stop before they enter the large chamber, but I drift inside slowly with Gale close behind me. I've never been so relieved to have him shadowing me until this very moment because I'm not sure what I would do if I had to meet these men by myself.

Inside, it's easy to spot them. The elder man is about Sae's age with a cloud of white hair fanning out around his head and covering half his face. His lips are red and puffy, stretching widely in an almost friendly welcome if not for the cold eyes above them. His white tails swishes from side to side in a rhythmic motion that reminds me of an old grandfather clock.

The man next to him is a younger version with the same cold eyes. His hair isn't white but more of a wheat color, short, and there's no hair on his face. This man doesn't bother to smile at me or pretend that this is a friendly visit, and I like it that way. It's better when your enemy is simply your enemy.

I continue to drift closer to the center of the chamber and give them a hearty, "Welcome," as Sae instructed me to do. Coriolanus eyes me carefully before the smile spreads even wider, "Thank you, Katniss. It's good to see you again."

"It's been so long," I say with a forced smile of my own. According to Sae and Prim, the other Katniss hadn't seen them in well over three moons. "Yes, it has," Coriolanus nods to me, but then his head tilts to the side and the two men share a look between themselves before they look at me again.

"I'm afraid we're here more for business than for pleasure…the lingering matter of you and my son?" Coriolanus's voice is so gentle and pleasant that I almost believe that he is those things. Almost.

Cato's cobalt eyes are hard on me, refusing to look away even when Sae offers him food to eat. I don't like the way he looks at me, the flicker of something behind his eyes that hints of violence and hatred. Still, I can't help myself when I ask him, "Are you still interested in this arrangement?"

I'm not sure why I ask, perhaps to see his face do something other than stare at me. And just like that, as though someone had flipped a switch, he's smiling at me as amiably as his father. "Of course, Katniss. I think we could be very good for each other. Don't you agree?"

I may not have been born to this world, but I know it wouldn't be a good idea to insult them outright, and Sae's stiff body behind Cato, staring at me with a pained expression is an additional warning. It takes me a moment, but then I settle on an answer.

"I can't deny that a union between the Cities of Silver and Fire would be beneficial for all involved, but it is a very important decision that shouldn't be taken lightly. I think I'll require some more time." From what Sae tells me, at face value the union is beneficial for both cities. Our city has an abundance of rock and shell used as building materials to trade with the other cities, but our city's food stores are low. Lava rock is fertile ground to grow various seaweed, but it's hard to work when the lava constantly flows. The City of Silver is always expanding and building and has an abundance of food. A match made in heaven if not for the stories of Coriolanus and his sons.

Sae's gills expel a breath even as the amiable smile vanishes from Cato's lips, and his brows dip down low. He's about to say something, perhaps to tell me that he won't give me the time I need, but his father speaks instead, cutting off anything he had to say.

"Of course, dear Katniss, but please keep in mind we cannot wait forever. Soon we may find it more beneficial to explore other options."

Cato flicks his white tail and floats my way, but Gale positions his body beside and slightly in front of me, blocking the space between me and Cato. His eyes are narrowed on Cato, but mine are on Coriolanus. Cato doesn't make anymore sudden moves, slowly drifting towards me until he takes my hand between the two of his. Gale's eyes are on Cato, Cato's focus is divided between me and Gale, but Coriolanus and I watch each other carefully. The elder man eyes me as thought there is something he's trying to work out before he calls his son to leave.

I didn't realize I'd held my breath until they leave the chamber completely and I exhale, the whooshing of water rushing out of my gills.

Gale whips around and takes my hands into his, startling me with his movements and his closeness. "Are you okay?" Whatever it is inside me that makes the clicks, squeaks and squeals of their language has left me, and all I can do is nod. He immediately releases my hand when Sae comes to me and Prim rushes into the chamber. I'm glad Sae didn't allow her to enter. I don't Prim anywhere near those men.

Her little arms wrap around me, burying her head into my abdomen. I feel numb, but I hold her for my own comfort.

Coriolanus and his son have left me with even more dread about that option than I had with only Sae's warnings. The third son of the Setting Sun is my only hope, but judging by Coriolanus's words after only three moons, there's no way I can wait another four for his decision. With new resolve, I know what I have to do. My tail glows with my mounting frustration. Whether it's to the second son of Silver or the third son of the Setting Sun, it's clear I'll have to marry, and soon.

I never have any say in my life and I'm tired of it. Above the surface, I was considered a minor and dumped in the care of my aunt. Below, I'm forced into a marriage if I have any hope of fulfilling the original Katniss's dying purpose and returning to all that I've known.

I float upward until I have enough room to straighten myself vertically to give some semblance of authority. Prim pulls away from me and looks up with wide eyes as I say, "I don't want to wait another four moons for him to make his decision. I'll go to the City of the Setting Sun and demand that he see me."

Prim looks up from her spot near the floor with her wide eyes even wider in awe. Sae's expression I don't know how to decipher but I figure the partial smile she's trying to hold back is something positive. Even Gale's looking at me, with the same curiosity he had when they first found me. This is something they need to get used to because I have to do something. I can't have my life chosen for me. I don't want the world to tell me where I'm going to end up. The third son of the Setting Sun sounds like my best option, and I have make him see that I'm the best option for him as well.


End file.
